


The Challenge

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2014-10-10
Packaged: 2018-02-20 13:58:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2431385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“When I see beautiful things…I think of you Katya.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Challenge

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for Blood Hungry and What Fresh Hell. This is for mitfordgal who wanted Penelope telling the flower story and Emily being jealous.

“Seriously? You are not serious.”

 

“I am so serious…it was definitely the Adults Only show. Miss Katya was not disappointed; Gideon surely put his best foot forward.”

 

“I can't believe it.” Garcia shook her head.

 

“I wouldn’t either if I hadn’t heard it with my own ears.” Morgan replied. “How does he do it? Not that I know if Katya was hot or not but she sounded that way.”

 

“More like in heat.” Reid said.

 

“Whoa, Reid made a funny,” Garcia laughed, clapping her hands. “I'm really proud of you.”

 

“Good job kid,” Derek ruffled his thick hair, recoiling when Garcia hit him. “Whoa mama, what did I do?”

 

“This happened almost three weeks ago and you're just now telling me? Worse still, I didn’t already know about it. The grapevine in this place has slowed to a virtual trickle.”

 

“We got so busy; I forgot you didn’t know.” Morgan shrugged. “I'm still trying to figure out how he does it.”

 

“How who does what?” Emily asked, walking in after knocking. “Penelope, JJ wanted me to give you these files.”

 

“Any reason you didn’t tell me about Katya, Prentiss?” Garcia took the files. “Thanks.”

 

“Who?”

 

“We were just filling her in on Gideon’s liaisons de sexual in San Diego.” Derek said laughing. “Hey Prentiss, what’s laid in Russian?”

 

“Polozheni is a close English translation.” Reid answered. “I’m sure the connotation is not the same at all.”

 

“Wasn’t the Katya thing like last month?” Emily asked. “You guys gotta get some new stories.”

 

“Garcia didn’t know.” Reid said. “Morgan insisted on filling her in.”

 

“I know some women have that thing where they want to save men.” Derek said. “Maybe that’s how he does it. He can do the sad eyes like no one I know.”

 

“His sad eyes are not an attempt to get women, Derek.” Emily said.

 

“Says you. Obviously it works.”

 

“Gideon is more than that, gumdrop, it just takes someone special to see.”

 

“Oh yeah. I forgot he romanced you that one time.”

 

“Shut up.” Garcia slapped his forearm but smiled.

 

“Now I'm really confused.” Emily said.

 

“Agent Gideon injured his knee before the team went to Tennessee to investigate this cannibal murderer last year.” Garcia told her. “He had to stay behind, work in Quantico; he drove me crazy.”

 

“Up the wall is more like it.” Reid said.

 

“Yeah. Just when I thought he would rip through like a tornado, leaving nothing but devastation in his wake…he did the sweetest thing.”

 

“What?” Emily pressed.

 

“He bought me flowers and Keyser Soze.”

 

“He bought you The Usual Suspects?” Reid asked.

 

“Keyser Soze is my MP3 player, Reid.”

 

“Oh my God, you name electronics too?” Emily asked. “I have two iPods, Pembleton and Bayliss.”

 

“I love it.” Garcia replied. “So you see, Gideon has this beautiful, sensitive side that you sometimes get a glimpse of.”

 

“All that from flowers and a walkman?” Derek asked with a raised eyebrow. “He only did that after he drove you up a wall, baby girl.”

 

Derek didn’t think it was necessary to mention that Hotch bought the flowers and signed Gideon’s name…Garcia never needed to know that.

 

“He knew he was unbearable and he still made the gesture. The card was so sweet, it said,” Garcia rustled around in one of her drawers until she found it. She was careful pulling it out of the tiny envelope. “I know I can be challenging sometimes but your work is appreciated, J. Gideon. That is adorable.”

 

“I still don’t see it.” Derek shook his head.

 

“Of course you don’t sugar lips,” she pinched his cheek. “You never care when you're a pain in the ass.”

 

“You know you love it.” He replied.

 

“That was nice,” Emily said. “Its rare a man will admit to something like that.”

 

“Garcia does bring out the best in people.” Reid replied.

 

“I like to think of myself as the silver lining on the black clouds that can be your jobs. Now go, I have to save the world and it requires absolute quiet.”

 

The three profilers filed out, Reid looking at Prentiss.

 

“You have a funny look on your face Emily.”

 

“No I don’t.” she shook her head.

 

“I have to say you do, Prentiss.”

 

“Don’t start.”

 

“I think I know what this is about. You want flowers too. Hell, Gideon’s a challenge to you and Garcia gets flowers and an MP3 player. What did you get? Go in there right now and demand your flowers, woman.”

 

“You are a one-man comedy show Morgan, I swear. I think it was a lovely gesture for Gideon to send flowers. No doubt he can be a handful when he is in the zone on a case. Garcia probably deserved them and more.”

***

“Something is bothering you.” Jason crawled to the bottom of the bed where Emily sat. She was dressed in a black satin nightgown, holding a brush but no longer running it through her hair. Her legs were crossed and she was clearly preoccupied. He slid his hands up her silky smooth arms, brushing aside the strap of her nightgown to suck on her shoulder. “Tell me what’s bothering you Katya…let me make you feel better.”

 

“You don’t bring me flowers, Jason.”

 

“I don’t sing you love songs?” he asked grinning.

 

“Actually, you did sing me a love song once. Slightly inebriated and a bit off key but the sentiment was the same.”

 

“I have never sung off key.”

 

“Jason…”

 

“So you want flowers?”

 

“That is not what I'm saying. If I have to ask for things then what the hell is the point?” she stood from the bed, had to get away from his hands and lips.

 

“I thought you didn’t want…”

 

“What Jason? Affection?”

 

“I always give you affection, Emily.”

 

If she didn’t know better Emily could swear she heard hurt in Jason’s voice. She did not want to hurt him; that was never her intent. Still her stomach had been in knots, the bad knots, since Penelope read that card. The words, so simple, sliced through her like a scythe. 

 

“Penelope gets flowers, Jason. Penelope gets flowers and Keyser Soze. She is a co-worker and I am…Penelope gets flowers.”

 

“What does Keyser Soze have to do with anything?” he asked.

 

“Ooh,” Emily made a sound of frustration. “Do not make me throw this brush at you!”

 

“Hey,” Jason held up his hands. “No violence. I did not buy Penelope flowers, Hotch did.”

 

“This was after the cannibal case in Tennessee, Jason. I know I can be a challenge sometimes but your work is appreciated, J. Gideon. Those flowers.”

 

“Hotch sent Garcia those flowers. He thought I would not remember to give her something for putting up with me, which as you know can be a challenge. I had already sent her the MP3 player, named Keyser Soze apparently, and this led Garcia to believe she had received two gifts. I certainly didn’t have the heart to tell her the flowers weren’t from me…they made her happy.”

 

“She kept the card.” Emily whispered.

 

“She is a sweet girl,” Jason replied. “I like her a lot. Plus I think I scared the hell out of her for a while. I am glad she does not head in the other direction when she sees me anymore.”

 

“I haven’t even gotten fake flowers.”

 

“I didn’t think that…I guess I screwed up.”

 

“I don’t want you doing anything that makes you uncomfortable.” She crossed her arms.

 

“Lavishing you with gifts would never make me uncomfortable, Katya. I could make it Christmas everyday for you. I was just concerned that both of us would believe we had to do those things for each other.”

 

“Sometimes a woman wants to know that she means something, Jason. Do I mean something?”

 

“Yes.” He got off the bed, moving over to where she stood. “How could you think that you didn’t? I know I don’t always…”

 

“Stop,” she put her fingers on his lips. “I just…maybe I'm being hormonal…”

 

Jason quieted her with a kiss. Emily deserved flowers. She deserved that and much more. He was sure that she didn’t wholly believe that, at least where their relationship was concerned. She was wrong.

 

“Sit down; I want to show you something.”

 

“What?”

 

“Sit down, please.”

 

Emily rolled her eyes, stealing another kiss before sitting back on the bed. Jason went to the top of his closet. He pulled out a shoebox and a few bags, placing them on the bed.

 

“What's this?” she looked at him.

 

“When I see beautiful things, I think of you Katya. I am not a compulsive buyer but I have to…I think of you.”

 

“This stuff is for me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why didn’t you just give it to me?” Emily asked.

 

“Honestly I wasn’t sure how. Gifts imply things; we said we didn’t want to imply things.”

 

“We did.” She nodded. “It’s OK to say things though.”

 

“Rarely will I get the words right.” Jason replied.

 

“Actions speak louder than words, Jason. You will know when its time I guess.”

 

“What?”

 

“I am not going to rip through a small box and several bags like an eager child at Christmas. You will know when the time is right to give me these things. You must have been holding on to them for something.”

 

Emily put them back in the top of the closet. Walking back, she wrapped her arms around him from behind.

 

“Only you, Jason Gideon, that I can say for sure.”

 

“Only me what?” he stroked her hands.

 

“Were you saving them for a rainy day?”

 

“I honestly don’t know.” He turned in her arms, kissing her. “Sometimes I can be a challenge.”

 

“I do love a good challenge.” Emily replied.

 

“I knew that about you.” Jason brushed a raven lock behind her ear.

 

“You mentioned something earlier about making me feel better.” Arms around his neck, Emily pulled him closer.

 

“Did I?” he stroked her satin covered back.

 

“Mmm hmm, I'm positive you did.”

 

“What can I do to please you, Supervisory Special Agent Prentiss?”

 

Emily grinned, leaning to whisper in his ear. The grin on his face matched hers.

 

“Damn,” he murmured.

 

She kissed him, deep and passionate. Jumping into Jason’s arms and wrapping her legs around his waist, Emily laughed against his mouth. They stumbled a bit, falling back on the bed with Jason’s hand behind her head. His lips moved down to seduce her neck and throat, murmuring against her skin. Emily pulled the tee shirt over his head. Jason Gideon was very good with actions; he had been from the first night. Apparently he had a grasp on sentiment as well. The words would eventually catch up.

***


End file.
